Blurred
by missmocha77
Summary: Sakura knew how thin the line between hate and love was. However, what she did not know was that sometimes, that line did not exist.
1. Unwilling

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Never have, never will.

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had truly been afraid for her life.<p>

She felt the grimy towel push her tongue back and tied securely, digging into the flesh around her mouth. She could not see. The bag over her head cut off air supply.

Sakura couldn't even whimper.

Due to the light bouncing and the sound of hooves meeting earth, Sakura could deduce that she was in a horse drawn carriage. She was in the storage area, the clinking and clacking of fine goods soother some of her nerves, to say the very least. In fact, she was sure it was the only thing keeping her sane at the moment. However, dread filled her to the brim.

Sakura did not recall any of the events of that day. She knew that she was supposed to go to the hospital for training, but she held no recollection of going there. Little did she know, three days had already passed.

Sakura was perspiring so heavily that she did not have the slightest urge to relieve herself. It wasn't only hot; it was hot and humid, the worst combination of all. She could feel sweat sliding down her neck into the valley of her less than average breasts, sending unpleasant shivers wracking her body.

After a few hours, _or maybe days_, Sakura thought bitterly, the carriage abruptly stopped. It seemed as if the driver had reached his destination. Suddenly, the doorway to the storage area was rolled up and particles of light shone through her bag. Strong, rough hands grabbed her, and Sakura let out a squeak, startled by the sudden handling. A man chuckled.

"You be careful, now, Pein-sama. This one's a screamer."

"Lovely," the one Sakura supposed was Pein-sama replied. Coins fell into the driver's hands. "Thank you."

The driver gave a deep bow before mounting his carriage once more, grabbing the reins, and urging his four horses to go.

"Hya!" he cried. The horses whinnied and snorted before settling into a light canter.

Swung over a muscular shoulder, Sakura started squirming. The man tightened his grasp on her. Unless she wanted to choke, Sakura could not attempt screaming. It wasn't likely that someone could hear her anyway. She fell limp against his shoulder.

It was hopeless.

It was quite uncomfortable being carried stomach down on this man's shoulder. His bones dug into her abdomen and the rubbing of cloth against skin created an unpleasant friction on her belly. Not to mention her back was hurting.

Although the journey was tedious, Sakura still felt fear and grief pooling into her chest.

She was going to die.

Tears of regret stung at her eyes. What had she last said to Naruto? She couldn't remember now. They wouldn't be able to get Sasuke back now, at least not together. Team Seven would never be reunited.

Sakura's eyes hardened, and she smiled bitterly or tried to with the gag in place. _So. This is how it's going to end, huh?_ Drops of acceptance flowed freely, unrestricted by the sack over her head. _Well, I'm not going to make it easy for him!_ Sakura started to struggle, her bound arms and legs flailing out in all directions. Little grunts of annoyance were heard, but the man trudged on forward.

Sakura, exasperated, started screaming, not caring if she choked or not. At this moment, due to the irritating sounds disturbing his eardrums and his peace, the man decided to intervene. With one swift strike to the neck, the pink-haired kunoichi was out like a light.

* * *

><p>Itachi was astounded by the actions Pein had gone through for him. Lying silently in front of him was Haruno Sakura, his little brother's former teammate. His facade not slipping a bit, he looked up with malice in his eyes.<p>

"What is this?" he asked, referring to the unconscious girl on the floor. Pein, equally displeased, met his glare.

"This brat," he spat out, "is the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage. I have reaffirmed that her skill is great enough to heal your eyes."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at this supposed leader. "My eyes are fine."

Sakura, due to all the blurred murmuring, started to stir, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but due to the tense aura, she knew it was nothing good.

"Itachi, can you honestly see without your Sharingan? You have it on all the time nowadays. I even relocated you to the Kingdom of Cascana since it's rumored to be good for regaining all types of health, and your eyes have worsened. You have forced me to take drastic measures."

"So you bring me this weakling?" Itachi enunciated, looking at the girl malignantly. Sakura met his glower and returned it tenfold. Itachi blinked, a little perturbed. How could she dare to-

The medic-to-be started struggling against the floor, screeching and kicking. Pein sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes before grabbing her by the hair and forcing her to face him.

"Haruno Sakura," he said calmly. "That is your name, correct?"

Sakura answered by attempting to head butt him, though she was thwarted by the loss of movement. Pein groaned, "I hate feisty women." Clearing his throat, he began. "Sakura, we require your assistance. You are to heal Uchiha Itachi's eyes completely and prevent him from blinding himself again. When he removed the gag to hear her answer, she bit him. Hard.

Cursing wildly, he withdrew his hand as blood spurted from it, and Sakura started screeching. Finally able to look at herself, she saw that she only had a bra and panties on. Her screeching halted at once. Then started up again.

"YOU FUCKING PERVERT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES? DID YOU GET A NICE PEEK, YOU PEDOPHILE?" She broke the restraints on her legs and started kicking wildly at Pein, swift swishing sounds resulted from the power of her kicks. Itachi watched in mild amusement.

Pein took hold of her legs and put his lips close to her ear, immediately making him seem all the more creepy. "Stay still!" he hissed. "If you heal Itachi's eyes, we will send you home to Konoha immediately after. "

That brightened Sakura's day by a hundred. "You're screwing with me," she accused, her sharp tongue getting the better of her.

"This is no joke," Pein said seriously. "Once you are finished healing Itachi's eyes, you are free to go home. We will escort you there safely as thanks."

"I don't trust you," Sakura said, narrowing her eyes at him. "And I'm pretty sure I can get home by myself."

"You cannot," Itachi stated flatly. "You need a passport to come in and out of the Kingdom of Cascana, neither of which you have." Sakura gasped indignantly. The Kingdom of Cascana, geographically, was a sea across from the shinobi nations. No one really came to this empire.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"This is no joke," Pein repeated. "You can either heal Itachi's eyes and go safely home or die here in a little prison cell. Make your choice."

Sakura's lower lip trembled as she weighed the outcome. Uchiha Itachi, the murderer. He had killed all the Uchiha except for Sasuke. What would Sasuke think of her if she helped him? But really, what choice did she have? He wouldn't be thinking anything of her if she were dead.

"I'll do it," she said, voice cracking. She had no choice if she ever wanted to see her team, her friends, or her family again. Heck, she even missed that little yapping dog that lived next door.

"Do you have a sufficient amount of chakra?" Pein asked callously. Sakura checked, seeing if that energy of life needed any replenishing.

"No, I'm good," Sakura said truthfully. She honestly only felt a little thirsty, that was all. And dirty, but that had nothing to do with chakra. "I'll begin now." Pein nodded, untied her, and let her scoot closer to Itachi. She called her gentle, healing chakra to her hands and proceeded to touch them to Itachi's temples to examine the damage until he jerked away ever so slightly. She pulled back, confused. Was that reluctance...hesitance? Was he afraid of the healing, of what she might do?

Or was it that he did not want to be healed?

Sakura shook that thought away. No, that couldn't be it. The first option was more realistic. Going forth once more, she instructed for Itachi to close his eyes, and he did so. She touched the tips of her fingers lightly to his temples, eventually exploring to his eyelids.

All of a sudden, Itachi's blood red eyes flashed open, and he pushed her away roughly, causing her head to knock the ground, Sakura letting out a cry of surprise. What he had done that for? She was instantly grouchy.

And in the next moment very afraid.

"This bitch tried to kill me!" Itachi spat, gathering himself into a crouching position. Pein was instantly on her, hand enclosed around her throat, leaving Sakura to struggle for air.

"Is this true, kunoichi?"

"No! I told you I would heal them-"

"Silence! We both know Itachi wouldn't lie to me! He grabbed her slender wrist, nearly crushing it in his grip, and dragged her along a hallway that led to the basement. Pushing her in front of him, he interlaced her dirty, pink locks with his fingers and trudged on forward.

All Sakura could think was, _But he did lie to you! What's going on here? _

* * *

><p>All right, y'all. I've decided to go ahead and post this even though I was going to wait. I promise I'll finish My Friend soon, but I need to get the ending right.<p>

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day.


	2. Contradictory

Yeah, I suck at updating. Get at me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

><p>Sakura was shoved inside a cell, and she hissed in annoyance. She had complied and what had happened to her? She got locked in a freaking prison cell. This was the thanks she received.<p>

"Now, you insubordinate girl, you stay in there until you behave." He swung the door closed and in one swift motion locked it.

"I didn't lie!" Sakura screeched. "I was healing his eyes!"

Pein pointedly ignored her and started heading down the hallway. Even as his footsteps grew more and more faint, Sakura yelled at him determinedly, knowing it wouldn't make him release her but taking pride in the fact that she would cause him at least some discomfort. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she kicked the bars of her cell, taking in some satisfaction when it made a loud clang and vibrated violently. She screamed at the top of her lungs for a long time. She didn't know for how long. Time seemed to pass very slowly and quickly at the same time. Maybe it was the prison cell's fault for her warped sense of time.

She must have sat there for hours, thinking about everything and thinking about nothing. She thought of her family. What was her mother thinking? What of her father? Did they know she had gotten kidnapped and had they witnessed it? There were so many questions, and there was no way to get answers to them, unless she had a magic crystal ball with her that she could just whip out and demand for answers.

She did not have enough chakra to heal any of the wounds that were sore from being tied up. There were lines imprinted in her wrists and feet, minor gashes and bruises, and when she reached up to touch her face, she recognized the texture of dried blood and a burn from friction.

Her eyes lolled back into her head as she realized that it was fairly cold down here. She was appreciative of it first, since she had been positively sweltering in just a bra and panties, but now it was freezing. Judging by the temperature, it must have been night time. Or not. Who knew? She didn't really know this country at all. As far as she knew, no one ever came here for vacation or ever had missions assigned to this country, Cascana. She had barely even heard about this country before she was dumped in this hell hole.

Well, it wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been kidnapped! Sakura was still scared, terrified, really, but she didn't know what to do. They were stronger than her, much stronger, so if she tried to escape, they would probably kill her. Maybe if she seduced one of them... She immediately laughed that idea off. Like hell she would! It wasn't like she was hideous, but she would not exploit herself just to get out of this. That would be a disgrace to everything she believed in.

Eventually, after a few hours (or days?), she heard the even clack of sandals approaching her cell leisurely. Whiffing the air experimentally, her eyes widened, and her mouth watered.

She smelled food.

How long had it been since she had had substantial nutrition? She didn't remember. Why did she go on a diet again? She wasn't fat! She should have appreciated the availability of food when she was at home.

Looking up, she found herself staring into the crimson eyes of Uchiha Itachi. She eyed the food he had slipped through a little door in her "cage." Maybe if she lost ten pounds she would be able to fit through that door and run.

She looked down to the feast before her. It was some meat and cheese wrapped up in a thin piece of bread. She examined it carefully, folding back the bread to get a better look inside. "What is this?" she spat.

"It is an enchilada," he replied coldly. "Eat now before I take it away."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and picked up the article of food. "Bastard," she muttered, opening her mouth to take a large bite out of her food. All of a sudden, she felt bony fingers enclose themselves around her throat, restricting the passage of air to her lungs. Out of shock, she dropped the food given to her.

"It would be wise not to speak, girl. Just obey orders given to you," Itachi hissed harshly, sharingan spinning and flashing wildly.

She had no idea why she was being so defiant. Usually, she would cower in the corner and obey orders. Now, she was openly calling them names, even kicking and screaming. She had no problem hiding her displeasure. It was very brave.

It was also very stupid.

This was Uchiha Itachi she had been talking to, a man who had killed his whole clan at the mere age of thirteen. A cold blooded murderer. One who could probably snap her neck in half with the mere flick of the wrist.

A flare of anger lit in her eyes, and she glowered at him darkly. "Why should I listen to you? I'm being kept here against my will!" She struggled, limbs flailing out in all directions, trying to convey a nice "fuck you" message to Itachi. A grunt escaped the elder boy's lips. She grinned with satisfaction as she realized that her foot had connected with his shin painfully. He dropped her and commanded her to eat once more before locking the cell and leaving.

She looked in disgust at the chunks of pork and shredded cheese that were sprawled on the floor. She idly gathered all the things up and placed it in the thin bread, not completely trusting it. She closed her mouth around the end and chewed.

A fusion of new flavors flooded her mouth. Her eyes lit up, and she moaned in pleasure. It was actually good! Who knew! She decided that Cascana was the best place to eat. Perhaps it was because she was hungry, but she decided that enchiladas were her new favorite food. She ate the rest of it slowly, savoring each bite she took.

All too soon, she was done, and a familiar dryness plagued her throat, begging to be quenched. She was so thirsty. Stupid men. They couldn't realize that humans needed water more than food. Was this a play to make her more cooperative? Did they want her to beg? Sakura realized this might be a good thing since she would not have to urinate any time soon. She might have to poop, though. She giggled at the thought. Giggled. Maybe if she threw her feces out of the cell, Itachi might step on them or better yet, she might hit his face. The bubbling giggles eventually turned into hysterical laughter, and she was rolling around on the floor with her eyes squeezed shut and struggling to breathe.

Eventually, she gave into the temptations of sleep since she was so goddamn bored, though the floor was cold and hard on her bare skin. She woke up every half an hour, tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable. It didn't work, obviously. Her back ached tremendously, and she realized that she actually did have to pee. She stayed awake until she heard footsteps approaching once more. Was this normal, to have captors visit their captives so often? Sakura thought not.

It was Itachi again, though this time he did not have his Sharingan activated. His eyes were actually rather pretty, she realized. It was no secret; Itachi was attractive, more so than Sasuke. That did not excuse him for his actions though. "The leader has left," he said absent mindedly, looking from side to side.

He surprised her when he threw an oversized shirt at her and a pair of large shorts. "What's this for?" she asked him dumbly. He raised one elegant eyebrow at her while he slid down the wall, eventually sitting.

"To wear, obviously. You didn't honestly think that I would let you sit around in that indecent state, did you?"

Sakura's cheeks flamed; she did not know if it was out of embarrassment of being seen half naked or out of anger. "Well, you didn't seem to mind before."

His face remained blank. "Be grateful. If that driver had not undressed you, you would been overheated and may have died. Since it is winter in Konoha, you were dressed in very heavy clothing, am I correct? It is over a ninety degrees here; your thick sweater would not have done you any good."

Sakura gaped at him, realizing that he was right. She probably would have overheated. She probably wouldn't have died, but she would have gotten a little sick.

Why was he acting so different? He had been so angry and scary earlier, but now he was being...kind of nice? It was better than him choking her to death. Did it have anything to do with the man Pein's absence? His voice had become very soft and his voice was...gentler. Ish.

She realized that he was still sitting. "Why are you still sitting here?" she said.

"This is the coolest place in the house, and I am here to watch you."

Sakura sighed and grinned a bit. "What if I have to go to the bathroom?"

Itachi handed her a bucket. Her smile fell.

* * *

><p>Sorry for a longish wait. Trust me, this is nothing compared to my other stories. ;) But thanks for the alerts, faves, and reviews.<p>

Yes, Cascana is based on Mexico, like food and language and all that rap. But some things will be different. So bear with me.

And Pix (if you're still reading) : Thank you for the constructive criticism. I love criticism; it really helps me grow as a writer. It helped me realize some things that I was doing wrong, but the rest of it, I'm going to disregard. I made these things like that for a reason so I can do more character development and such. My apologies if it's not up to your standards.

I'll try to update in a month...no promises though.


	3. Fake

The next few days were pure agony. She knew they were purposely weakening her, so she couldn't escape. They needed to keep her confined in this dreadful place. It was so embarrassing when Itachi had to watch her go to the bathroom. In fact, it was embarrassing that he had to watch her at all. She knew she wouldn't have been able to escape these criminals.

In fact, why did they want her to heal Itachi's eyes? She wasn't Tsunade. Hell, she wasn't even Shizune? Why would they want such a sub-par ninja? Then she realized it.

It was because she was a sub-par ninja. They had the best chance of capturing her out of any medical ninja in the world. They also knew she was being trained by the best, so she would have more knowledge then many of the medical ninja out there. She grumbled.

What a hellish situation this was.

She really had no choice but to submit to them if she wanted to live. However, what they were asking her to do was betray her country by helping her enemy. That first day, she had been weak and had decided to heal the man's eyes just so she could go home... but wait. He had attacked her and said that she was trying to kill him. At that moment though, she had just been doing a scan of his eyes. They were in fairly poor condition. In fact, he was almost blind. Scans did feel a bit intrusive, but they shouldn't have hurt, and he of all people would not have reacted the way he did. It was almost...forced, contrived.

It was like he was acting.

Sakura pondered upon this. It wasn't like he had any reason to lie. Or did he? It didn't matter. It still irritated her to no end.

He soon came down with her dinner, and she shot him a glare. He ignored her glare gracefully and slid it through the door in her cell.

"Eat," he demanded, red eyes glowering at her. She cast him a withering look and turned her head away.

"I'm not hungry," she said softly. It was true. The effects of starvation were kicking in, and the pangs of hunger in her stomach had turned into bowel twisting pains. She knew it would be great to eat, but she would be deeply remorseful later. Or rather, her stomach would.

They were putting powerful laxatives in her food, she knew, but it was still hard to resist it. It was embarrassing enough having to pee in front of Itachi, but it was even more embarrassing when she was pissing acid out of her ass in front of that heathen. It was bad enough being permitted water only three times a day, but the diarrhea only served to make her even more dehydrated. If her deterioration kept at this pace, she would no longer have any chakra to heal Itachi with and would die.

She needed to heal his eyes and quick.

"Itachi, are you still too afraid of me healing your eyes?" Sakura asked timidly, curling up in her corner.

"You are not qualified to do this. You're much too immature for an important job such as this."

Sakura let a frown mar her face. "Why don't you let me go then?"

"Pein believes you are competent."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, how silly of him. Of course he wouldn't know if I was competent at anything. He isn't the boss of you," she bit out sarcastically, truly getting angry now.

Suddenly, he was in her cell with her, his thumb pressing down on her larynx. Sakura gagged and flailed about, struggling for air. His red eyes bore into hers, and she saw it. The sadness, the depression...

This man was miserable and angry, and he was very good at hiding it.

"You will not speak to me that way," he whispered in her ear, sending dark shivers down her spine. Sakura was afraid, but now, she knew. She continued gasping for breath before Itachi performed a merciful act and let her go.

"Eat," he repeated one last time before leaving the basement. Sakura coughed uncontrollably, nearly vomiting. Glowering at his exit, she rubbed her neck tenderly.

Curling up in her corner even more, she laughed maniacally, not letting herself cry, not letting the fear overwhelm her.

"You're a damn fake," she whispered.

* * *

><p>If you'd be so kind, review please. All readers are appreciated, though.<p>

This story will have ten to twelve chapters.


	4. Impulse

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Never have, never will.

* * *

><p>Sakura didn't know how much time had passed, and she was desperate for human contact. even hearing a voice other than her own would make her deliriously happy, whether or not it belonged to someone she despised. She knew this was how they were breaking her, but she was, without a doubt, becoming irrational. Sakura now understood that this was how they got prisoners to crack. They began to feel a twisted sort of, well, love for their captor and would spill secrets just for the hope that their short period of human contact would be prolonged. This was why prisoners became delirious after being released- they were addicted to that person, they needed them to live.<p>

Itachi still refused to let her heal his eyes, no matter how much she pleaded with him. Pein, of course, didn't know that tidbit of information and was growing increasingly upset that Sakura seemingly wouldn't heal Itachi's eyes. He started going off about peace, war, God, and other nonsense she couldn't understand; she had lost consciousness after a while. She was extremely weak, both physically and mentally. She could feel her ribs jutting out, and her mouth was constantly dry and begging for water. Her urine was brown, and she could no longer excrete feces. She was dying. Fast. Not that anyone would care.

She briefly thought about her family, her mentor, her friends, Ino... How would they be after losing her? Would they be unable to function because they were too busy wallowing in their grief? What would Naruto think? Would he be saddened, or would he be ecstatic because the bitch he had loved for years finally got what she deserved? She was sure Kakashi-sensei would think about her a little, but he probably wouldn't be sad. And Sasuke? Well, he probably had already forgotten about her. Sakura hoped that somebody would notice she was gone.

And that was when she finally allowed herself to cry.

* * *

><p>It wasn't as if Itachi couldn't feel sympathy for the poor girl. He just could not allow her to interfere with his plans. It would ruin everything he had worked for if she healed his eyes.<p>

He held a poison-free plate of food and tall glass of water in his hands. Of course, he wouldn't tell Pein that he had done this, but it really was the least he could do for Sakura-san. She didn't deserve this in the slightest, but such was the fate of the shinobi.

Itachi strolled down the stairs and paused when he heard her sobbing. He lowered his head in shame where she couldn't see but eventually started up again, heading to the cell where she was being held.

Upon reaching the cell, Itachi very quietly opened the door and went inside. "Sakura-san," he said softly. Sakura turned one eye to him, but there was no reply. She just stared. "It is time to eat."

"I don't want it," she croaked weakly.

"Sakura-san, you must eat."

"It's poisoned," she coughed angrily. "You really think I am going to eat that? Think again, you bastard."

"It's not poisoned," he answered, but she just sneered at him.

"You're a liar."

"You're sick, and you need to eat."

She just laughed this time. "If you'd let me heal your eyes, we wouldn't be having this problem."

Something in Itachi snapped. He knew as soon as the words came out, he'd regret it. "You will be loyal to your country!" he hissed, baring his teeth at her. The girl's eyes widened, and she choked. Sakura flew backwards out of fear, but her fear quickly turned to anger.

"Loyal to your country? Who are you to talk?" she accused, tensing up and trying to scramble to her feet. Her knees were weak, but she wasn't going to complain about that. She would prove herself to this rat, this bastard, this imbecile...! "What would you know about loyalty?" she barked at him.

"I know everything about loyalty, you little child!" he spat. "How dare you presume you know everything about me!"

"How dare I?" she asked, shaky on her feet. "You are the one who kidnapped me, locked me up, tried to murder me and now you're trying to blame me? Oh, you pretentious little prick!" Sakura shrieked at him, raising her hand at him and striking him across the face. Itachi was not fazed or shocked in the slightest, but he was ten times as angry as he was before.

He struck her back.

Sakura felt every single second of the blow. It was painful, but she was also slightly happy because someone had finally touched her. At first, she was furious at Itachi, but it died down when she suddenly felt overwhelming nausea. Momentarily, Itachi thought she was faking, but it soon became clear as blood started overflowing from her mouth that she wasn't.

Sakura fell to the ground, and the world turned black.

* * *

><p>The first thing Sakura register was the foul odor permeating about her nose. She crinkled her nose in disgust, and her face contorted as she tried to escape from the smell. She was much too comfortable to get up now; Sakura didn't want to be disturbed. "Stop," she moaned pathetically, swatting away the offensive scent. "Stop it."<p>

"Señorita, you must wake up," an unknown voice spoke to her.

"Leave me alone," she grumbled. However, she heard the voice and others chattering beside her, but she tried her best to block it out.

"No choice," one woman with a deeper voice said, and Sakura heard someone angrily stomping towards her. The next thing she knew was that a bright light was flashing in her eyes.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Sakura said, shielding her eyes with her arms. "What are you doing?"

"It's time to wake up, Señorita. It has been four days. You've slept long enough."

Sakura sat on that. Four days? How could she sleep for four days? What had-

Realizing her previous situation, Sakura gasped and flew up, immediately regretting it. "My head..." she sighed, rubbing it with one hand. At first her vision was blurry, but it focused a little as she woke up more. There were two women and one man sitting at her bedside, looking at her nervously.

"Finally, you awake," the woman with a deep voice snapped. She was older, tanner, and had a very thick accent.

"Where am I?" Sakura said, panicked and dazed all at the same time. "Who are you? How'd I get here? Who-"

"Shh, Sakura!" A young lady hushed her. "I promise all your questions will be answered soon. We just needed you to get up. It's all right." The young lady smiled. Sakura immediately felt at ease. Except for her rapidly palpitating heart. "You nearly died a couple of days ago, so you were brought to us. You're still in very bad condition, but you are not as close to dying as you once were. You are not in pain right now because we medicated you practically into a coma, but in a couple of hours, the pain will return. Do you understand me?" Her voice had a melodic lilt to it. Sakura liked it. She tried to form a sentence, but she could only get one word out.

"Yes."

The girl beamed at Sakura. "Good. Now, I imagine you have to go to the bathroom. Let's take care of that now."

As it was, Sakura did have to go to the bathroom. She tried standing on her own, but the two women ended up having to support her and help her go to the bathroom. At this point, she hardly cared, but she still wanted to retain some humility. She quickly asked who had brought her here.

"Why, Itachi, of course," the younger woman replied to Sakura, tilting her head in slight confusion. However, it was Sakura who was confused. Why had he taken care of her? This was very uncharacteristic of him. He could have just left her to die, but he didn't. Why didn't he just let her die? It was baffling. She chose to shake the thoughts away as they did her no good.

Fifteen minutes later, she found herself back in bed, already tired out from her little trip to the bathroom. The young lady smiled at Sakura as she sat at her bedside. "I am Hanaan. It is very nice to meet you."

Sakura grinned giddily for some reason and said, "Yeah." The older woman, whom she learned was "Katriina," came around the corner with a bowl of porridge in her hands.

"Sakura, open up, yes?" she stated sharply. Sakura did as the woman demanded, and Katriina tenderly shoveled porridge into her mouth. Sakura now realized how hungry she was, but as she reached for the bowl, Katriina took it out of her reach. "No, you need eat slow." Sakura knew the woman was right, but she still pouted for a while. However, she faithfully ate the soup at a slow pace, trying to ignore the pangs and aches of her body that were rapidly returning. Hanaan, however, noticed her wince.

"All right, Sakura. I think it's best that you rest now. The pain is going to come back very soon so I suggest you sleep while you can, okay?" It's already too late for that, Sakura thought sadly, but she just forced herself to smile and nod.

Then she felt it. The muscles in her body started contracting intensely, and she gasped at the mere shock of it. Her stomach was the worst of all, twisting around in knots. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she'd have a heart attack. However, the medic side of her told her, in a matter of fact tone, that her heart wasn't beating nearly fast enough to go into cardiac arrest, and she was just over exaggerating. If anything, it was probably her body trying to fight off the poison that Pein had been giving her, and her body was simply too weak to recognize that. She shrieked aloud once, and Hanaan had a look of sympathy crossing her features.

"I'm going to be in the kitchen," she told Sakura, patting her hand. "If you need me, just call me." Sakura nodded quickly and frantically, trying to hold back tears. She was a kunoichi, dammit! She should have been able to handle this.

"Thank you," she whispered hoarsely, gripping her bed sheets so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Sakura spent the rest of the afternoon writhing in pain, and it was getting progressively worse. This was a good sign, actually. Hanaan had informed her that if her body was failing to rid this specific poison (which was a rather common herb in Cascana, she had said), her pain receptors would be one of the first things to go, and she wouldn't be able to feel anything. However, Hanaan still warned her that there was a high chance of her dying from the pain alone. They could make no guarantees.

Time passed slowly as she lay in bed, white as ashes and perspiring heavily. She heard voices squabbling a bit, but she didn't care to listen.

"Itachi, she is in much pain," Hanaan pleaded with him. "Please don't go in there."

Itachi ignored the girl and stepped inside the door, barring her out. Hanaan growled in frustration and went off to find her father, hoping he could fix the mess.

Upon entering the room, Itachi found Sakura in a pitiful state. Her teeth were clenched, and her eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to hold back tears. Oddly, his heart twisted when he saw her like this, and he had no idea why. He dismissed it from his mind.

"Sakura-san," he said gently, and Sakura practically had to pry her eyes open to look at him.

"Itachi," she choked, though it could have been a sob as well. "What are you doing here?"

"I see you are still alive," he said, sidestepping the question and taking a seat by the young woman. "This is good news."

"Like you care." Itachi would have loved to argue with that, but Sakura really didn't need that at the moment. "What are you doing here?" Sakura repeated, releasing the bed sheets to hold her stomach instead.

"I came here to see if you were well again," Itachi replied truthfully. Sakura coughed out a laugh.

"Well, I'm not. So you can go." She turned to her side, her back toward the young man. He let out an inaudible sigh.

"I will stay here in case you need anything."

"Ha...I'll probably be dead from the pain in a few hours anyway. Don't bother with me," she spat out, believing her words to the fullest.

Itachi was silent, but he did not budge from his position.

Eventually, Sakura spoke. "I think I'm going to die," she told him shakily.

Thoughtfully thinking before responding, Itachi countered back with, "I highly doubt that."

Sakura just smiled bitterly and shook her head. Her voice quivered as she explained, "I'm not in good condition. If I was, my body would be able to fight off the poison better, but my immune system is shot."

This was probably true, Itachi deducted, but..."I will not let you die," he promised her.

"You don't have any control over that," she chuckled, shivering as nausea made her dizzy.

They were silent for a few moments more before Sakura said, "I've missed out on so much in life." She paused, not really caring if Itachi was listening, but she piqued his interest. "I spent so much of it chasing after your idiotic little brother, who only cared about you."

"Care isn't the word I'd use," he replied quietly, and Sakura smiled at that.

"You're evil."

Itachi flinched.

"I know."

Sakura licked her lips before continuing. "I'm fifteen years old, and there is so much I haven't done... I haven't even had my first kiss."

Itachi chuckled lightly. "Kissing's not that great."

"Well, you've probably had plenty of experience," Sakura bit back at him.

"Indeed." Sakura huffed at his one word answer, but she expected no more of him. She felt one more wave of pain flash over her.

"You know what, it doesn't even matter. I'm going to die anyway. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." She squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to make the world go away.

Itachi was not a man of impulse. He liked to plan, then take action. Therefore, it was understandable that even he was confused with what he did next.

Sakura felt his weight settle down on to the bed beside her, intimately close. She drew in a breath, suddenly extremely nervous. She rolled over slightly so she could face him. His eyes were dark, clearly torn. With what, she did not know. Then, slowly, he braced one arm beside her, leaned down, and brushed his lips against hers.

* * *

><p>Six pages of fluffy, dark goodness. Hope you liked it!<p> 


	5. Attraction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

* * *

><p>All of what happened next was a blur. Sakura felt as if she had simply drifted out of her body and had become a bystander to all of what had just happened, as if she were just watching the whole thing. What she believed to be true was that the man of the house basically kicked Itachi out, and Katriina and Hanaan assured her that no one else would disturb her rest. She didn't' really care.<p>

Sakura was in shock.

Did Itachi really just kiss her? Well, of course he did, she thought. But did he? The pain over her body subsided slightly as her confusion grew. Eventually, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The next week she spent her time trying to recover as slowly as she could. After all, if she recovered quickly, that meant she would have to go back to Itachi and that dreadful cell. Also, he had not come by again. For that, she was grateful. He needed to keep his lips away from hers, a good mile away.<p>

Hanaan had been very helpful, offering to assist in any way she could. Sakura smiled at that. She was a good girl, that Hanaan.

"Sakura, you've been getting chubbier!" Hanaan said with great gusto, clapping her hands together. Sakura winced a little. She knew "chubby" wasn't the word Hanaan had meant to us (with Japanese being her second language), but she just pictured herself as...big-boned as Chouji when Hanaan had said that.

"Yeah, I should be better soon."

Hanaan smiled softly at her. "Then you will get to be with Itachi, your lover, yes?"

Sakura choked on her own spit.

Hacking, she pounded on her chest, trying to breathe normally again. Her face was burning, hot to the touch. "My lover?" she coughed. "I don't think so."

"No? I saw him place a kiss upon your lips. Isn't that what lovers do?"

"Well, not always..."

"You mean where you come from people kiss others who aren't their lovers?"

"Well, we have...special kisses for lovers."

"Oh...I see."

Sakura shook her head. That girl was ridiculously innocent.

* * *

><p>Before the day was even through, Itachi had come again. Sakura knew that he was there to take her back. All he had to do was give her one of his looks. Damn it, Sakura cursed. If she had known he would take her away before she got better, she would have rested more.<p>

Hanaan gave Sakura a sympathetic gaze. "Are you going to be all right?"

Sakura smiled at her, putting on in air of confidence. "I'll be fine; don't worry." The truth was that she was terrified.

Would she be put in that cell again? The very thought of it made her tremble. It would be so embarrassing...she was still having diarrhea, and she didn't want to have to go in front of Itachi. Sakura could have cried. After he was done talking to the father, Itachi beckoned for Sakura to go to him.

Katriina motioned to Sakura. "Chica, is he doing the hurt to you? You stay if you please."

Sakura just smiled. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She couldn't let them get involved. They'd be killed without a thought.

She gave one final hug to Katriina and Hanaan, and thanked the man of the house for letting her stay. Itachi then pushed her along back to that dreaded place.

They walked along in uncomfortable silence, but Sakura preferred it that way. She didn't want to talk to him. She abhorred him. Unfortunately for her, she was ill and felt tired soon. Sakura couldn't walk much longer.

"How much farther?" she asked, clearly fatigued.

"About half a mile away," came the soft reply, the man speaking not even turning a glance toward her.

"I can't make it," she told him truthfully, her breathing strained, and Sakura crumpled to the ground.

Itachi's eyes flashed red, and he kneeled over Sakura's curled up form. "Sakura, are you awake?"

"Y-yes," she mumbled, panting. "Won't be for long. My v-vision's-"

The world was black.

* * *

><p>When Sakura awoke, she didn't dare to open her eyes at first. The first thing that came to mind was that she was still in that dirty, cold cell all by herself. She gripped the sheets underneath her.<p>

Wait...sheets?

Yes, sheets. She was also warm, soft material embracing her tightly. This realization caused her to sit up in bed, eyes open wide. Huffing slightly, she saw that she was on a bed. A real bed. Not like a woven wood mat she was sleeping on in Katriina and Hanaan's house. No, it was a ridiculously comfortable bed, white all over. Slightly bouncy.

Sakura literally moaned in pleasure. She had to be dead, but she didn't care. Sakura could have had an orgasm just by rolling around the bed. "Oh, hallelujah," she whispered, inhaling the light scent of the bed sheets.

"I see you are awake," observed Itachi. Sakura's heart could have ripped itself out of her chest.

"Holy shit," she cursed. "You scared me." You still do but not as much as you did before, she pondered.

"I apologize," he dryly replied.

Sakura scrutinized him. Was he all right? She knew this wasn't normal behavior... not from a man from a organization like Akatsuki. "Why are you being so nice?" she spat out.

Itachi looked straight into her eyes. "I am not as cruel as most make me out to be," he said seriously, leaning over his knees.

"What, you're not a mindless drone like all the others?" Sakura sneered, well aware that he would probably stop being nice soon.

"You wouldn't understand," he quietly answered, his eyelashes fluttering over his ebony eyes.

"Make me," Sakura challenged him, leaning closer in and crossing her arms over her chest. A sly smile appeared on the man's face. His hand crossed the distance between them, and his fingers trailed down her face, settling for one lock of hair. Sakura felt her face burn, and she wasn't sure if it was out of anger or...

"Oh, I would," his voice taking a sultry tone. "I would do so much more, but alas-" his lips caressed the pink tresses he was tenderly holding. "-you are still ill, dear Sakura."

With that, he left the room.

This time, with great shame, Sakura was now sure that she was blushing out of attraction.

* * *

><p>Okay, sorry for being away for so long. Three pages of goodness.<p>

Also, I have one request. If you could go to my profile, and do a poll for me, that would be great. Totally optional. It's just about some manga ideas I have.


	6. Blurred

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

This is the last chapter.

* * *

><p>Sakura was extremely upset with herself. She was supposed to be strong, unwavering, but just a stupid kiss on her stupid hair from some guy who was supposedly handsome got her blushing like she was twelve again. Sakura had thought she was past that! She hated him, she hated Itachi's fucking guts. So why was she so attracted to him?<p>

Sakura pondered on the differences and similarities between the brothers. Many thought they were alike, but...they weren't that similar. Sure, they were both quiet and pretty stoic, but it was obviously for different reasons. Sasuke, before the massacre, had been a pretty upbeat kid. He was actually quite chatty, but after that, he grew bitter and changed into a quiet, brooding person. Not that Sakura had cared at the time, which was stupid. She should've. Sasuke probably would have felt better if he knew somebody truly cared for him, not for his name, his looks... God, Sakura felt horrible now. But anyway, Itachi was more...private and reserved, like he had a secret.

Sakura sighed. That man definitely had a secret. It hadn't meant much before, but she remembered when he yelled at her, when he slapped her.

_"You will be loyal to your country!" he hissed, baring his teeth at her. The girl's eyes widened, and she choked. Sakura flew backwards out of fear, but her fear quickly turned to anger._

_ "Loyal to your country? Who are you to talk?" she accused, tensing up and trying to scramble to her feet. Her knees were weak, but she wasn't going to complain about that. She would prove herself to this rat, this bastard, this imbecile...! "What would you know about loyalty?" she barked at him._

_ "I know everything about loyalty, you little child!" he spat. "How dare you presume you know everything about me!"_

It was...not like a criminal to say something like that. It was extremely out of place. Had Itachi unintentionally implied that his loyalty lied elsewhere...that he was still loyal to Konoha? It seemed unlikely, but Sakura's mind was going a hundred miles an hour now. That man hadn't captured Naruto the last time they had encountered each other. He easily could have. Why didn't he? He didn't even seriously injure Sasuke. Well, he had psychologically scarred Sasuke enough into a coma, but Sasuke hadn't been badly hurt; all he had had were bruises, a broken wrist, and a couple of broken ribs, all easily taken care of with one healing session with Tsunade. What was this man hiding?

Sakura almost didn't want to find out.

* * *

><p>Naruto was livid. "What do you mean she's been kidnapped?" he screeched at his lecherous mentor, who had a grim look on his face.<p>

"She's been taken by Akatsuki. It was extremely discreet; nobody noticed she was gone for two days," Jiraya replied, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. The boy shook him off.

"We need to go save her, Pervy Sage! We need to go right now!" Naruto started running off, but Jiraya sighed and firmly grasped Naruto's arm.

"Do you even know where they are, Naruto?" he asked, knowing the answer would be 'no' when the boy stiffened under his hold.

"...no..." Naruto answered as expected. He bowed his head, hunched over. "Why can't I protect anybody?" he choked. "Why the hell did they take her?" he screamed, his grief-stricken voice resonating in the air.

Jiraya's pity for the boy disappeared when he saw one lone crow circling above them. He smirked. _Looks like you're in luck, Sakura._

* * *

><p>Itachi's vision was terrible. He couldn't even read anymore, not unless his nose was literally in his book. He squinted a lot, so much that it gave him migraines. This was what Sakura had observed when Itachi was watching over her every day. He sometimes miscalculated his movements-it was almost too subtle to notice, but it was definitely there. Sakura couldn't figure out why he didn't want her healing his eyes or why he was being so nice. Well, "nice" wasn't the word she would use to describe this, but it was as close as it was going to get. Sakura wanted answers, and she wanted them now. A direct approach wouldn't be very effective on Itachi, but neither would an indirect one. He was too intelligent for that.<p>

"Your eyes are terrible," Sakura stated. "Why won't you let me heal them?"

Itachi didn't look up from his book. "Why do you care so much?" he stated simply, not expecting her to give him an answer.

"I don't know. I guess I kind of feel bad for you," she shot back.

"That is rather unwise."

"That's rather unwise," she mocked, shaking her long, messy hair from side to side. It was a hindrance, and she was getting tired of it. She flopped back down on the bed, feeling nauseous. Sakura spotted a small smile grace his face for a few seconds before his lips were set in a straight line. She suddenly felt curious about something.

"Hey, did Sasuke ever really like long hair?" she asked him, not caring that it was a sore subject.

Itachi flinched but shrugged. "I suppose. He once had a crush on my teammate, and she had ridiculously long hair, even if she had been a civilian."

"How long?" Sakura asked.

"It went past her bottom," he replied softly, turning the page.

Sakura was curious yet again. "Do you like long hair?"

Itachi's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "That's not important." A sly smile crept up onto Sakura's face.

"You do, don't you?" she teased, creeping closer to him.

"I will not answer that question," he bit out, trying extremely hard to concentrate on his reading.

Sakura snorted. "That's why you molested my hair the other day, isn't it? You have a hair fetish! You even have long hair yourself." He was becoming increasingly distracted from his book, and Sakura took a little pride in that. She never knew it was so easy to get him worked up. It was subtle, but it was sooo there.

"Nonsense. How such words could ever come out of a young lady's lips baffles me," he mumbled harshly, trying to seem unaffected.

"Admit it. You like me," she said proudly.

"I do not."

"Sure," she drawled sarcastically. "I believe you."

The man then was silent once more, and Sakura harrumphed when he refused to talk to her. "You're boring," she spat out. She was greeted by silence once more. Sakura, utterly bored out of her mind, swung her feet over the bed and attempted to stand.

That had been a mistake.

Her vision immediately went blurry, and her knees no longer supported her. A pair of strong hands caught her before her head made impact with the floor. "Sakura-san, can you hear me?" Itachi murmured. She nodded, feeling the blood pound mercilessly in her head. Damn it, she was supposed to get better much more quickly than this.

Itachi tucked Sakura in, making sure she was comfortable before he left to attend to business. He was glad to see that his crow had returned, a new message upon its foot. Unfurling the letter, he smiled when he read the inscription.

_I'm sending Jin over by boat for Sakura._

_ ~Jiraya_

* * *

><p>When Itachi reentered the room, the exhausted Sakura could see that he was pleased. He wasn't smiling, but he was practically glowing like a pregnant woman. "What are you so happy about?" she asked weakly.<p>

"I'm never happy," he retorted gently, picking up where he left off in his book.

"Liar," she grumbled, curling up in the fetal position with her back towards Itachi.

Unknown to Sakura, Itachi had stopped reading long ago. His eyes traced her slender back, following the rise and fall of her breathing. Her pink hair was messily sprawled on the pillow and her back. She was sleeping now, probably in an effort to ignore the pain. He reached over to her, combing his fingers through her hair.

She was wrong. He didn't particularly like long hair. He just liked hers.

* * *

><p>Sakura woke up with Itachi shushing her, his hand over her mouth and a finger touching his lips. Her heart raced with fear for a moment. What the hell was he doing? However, she saw his eyes soften, and that managed to slow the quick palpitations of her heart. Itachi wasn't going to hurt her. He left the room, reminding her to keep quiet.<p>

She heard voices, his and Pein's, and she heard them going down to the cellar, the cellar where she had been kept. Sakura was too scared to not wonder what would happen if Sakura had been down there. What was Itachi's plan? She wasn't down in the cellar, she still hadn't healed his eyes, wouldn't he get in trouble?

Thirty minutes later, Sakura heard Pein leaving. A breath of relief escaped her, but she didn't dare move or make a sound yet, not until Itachi told her it was okay. When he finally came back, Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly calmer.

"He's gone," Itachi informed her.

"How did you trick him?"

"Since you have barely any chakra, it was quite easy to suppress. I made a clone of myself and cloaked my chakra to fool him. Then I transformed into you."

"Clever," she said, her voice shaky. This did not go unnoticed by Itachi.

"Sakura-san, there is no reason to be afraid."

"Yes, there is!" she spat, hastily sitting up in bed. "He would kill you if he found out you were taking care of me!" Her eyes stung. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, because you're taking care of me." She paused. "Why are you being so nice to me? You're weird, hurting me, then taking care of me, making all these comments about loyalty, and you don't even keep your allegiance to your own organization. You're a walking contradiction! Why are you trying to confuse me like this?" Sakura didn't bother to stifle her sob. "I hate you."

Itachi was silent, letting the girl pour out her feelings. She had been stronger than most, not afraid of defying him or letting him have a piece of her mind. What she had just said, though...made his chest tighten considerably. It was as if she was worried for his safety more than her own. That she was- no. He couldn't continue that thought because he knew he felt the same way.

They were treading into dangerous waters, and Itachi was horrified at the realization that he almost didn't care.

"I will not let anything happen." His gaze locked with hers. "Sakura, I promise." The sudden familiarity made Sakura's heart race. No, this was wrong. The attraction that she thought had disappeared had hit her again, ten times more powerful than it had been before. She noticed little details-the subtle, creamy white over his pupils, the natural darkness of his black eyes, how his lashes were longer than she thought...how his lips were more tan than pink. It scared the fuck out of her. Her lip quivered, and she turned her back to him, laying her head on the pillow.

"Whatever," she grunted, pulling the covers over her head.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked, afraid she was going to have another fainting spell.

"It's nothing!" she yelled, muffled by the covers. "Leave me alone."

However, Itachi would not be thwarted so easily. He pulled the cover away. "Sakura, if you are feeling ill, you must-" He stopped breathing when he noticed the blush spreading quickly over her features. The very sight of it made his cheeks warm unexpectedly, and his mouth went dry. Sakura snatched the covers again and pulled them over her head.

"Go away!" she screeched, attempting to sink into the covers. This time, Itachi did not need to be told twice. He left the room, closed the door, and tried to calm his racing heart.

Their interaction fell to a minimum level. Sakura was grateful for that. It was so embarrassing that he had caught her blushing like a schoolgirl. He finally had the decency to leave. Itachi would leave her alone for the day, only asking if she needed to go to the bathroom or if she was hungry. Sakura felt lonely, but she knew it was for the best.

Somewhere along the line, the line between hate and love had been blurred. Sakura didn't know at which point they had crossed it. Maybe the line didn't exist...maybe hate was a warped, twisted version of love. It would explain Sasuke's obsession to surpass his brother and the darkness in his heart. Sakura knew she felt disgusted at what Itachi did to Sasuke; she would never forgive him for that. Yet, she couldn't deny that somewhere along the way, her hate had been purified. It had turned into its original form-love.

She was still ashamed of herself. How could she allow herself to not hate Itachi? He had been everything that she thought he wasn't. He was kind in the smallest of ways, he actually listened to her no matter how much he pretended he wasn't, he actually cared about her. Sakura wasn't dumb; she could tell. His eyes would soften, and a small smile would appear for a little while. She also knew that he would stroke her hair sometimes when she was sleeping (and it felt sooo good).

The man was broken, though. His eyes betrayed a sadness that nobody could conceal, a sadness that made her want to...never mind. Itachi had secrets, secrets he would never tell anybody. He certainly wouldn't confide in her.

She was absolutely sure now that he wasn't loyal to Akatsuki; he had done too much for her. He often broke the rules, discreetly, of course, and she just happened to notice that he was contacting a girl from Konoha, someone who worked for Naruto's perverted sensei, Jiraya. Sakura just happened to see them...while she was snooping around when he went out. The letters had been vague and left her befuddled and angry, but she decided it was better that Itachi did not know she had been looking through his things.

Currently, Itachi was preparing a meal for her. Sakura wasn't really hungry, but she wanted an excuse to talk to him, something that made her feel so angry at herself. She wasn't even sick anymore, but she was still manipulating him into taking care of her. He came in about fifteen minutes later, carrying a tray of steaming, hot food. Sakura turned her head from it.

"What took you so long?" she complained, sniffing her food.

"I apologize," he said sincerely, placing the tray above her knees. "I was distracted by some business."

Sakura's lip jutted out, but she did not press any further. That struck Itachi as odd. Sakura liked to pester him, he knew that. However, she had been uncharacteristically quiet and complacent for the past few days.

"Sakura, are you feeling all right?" he inquired, truly worried for the girl.

"I'm fine," she snapped, bringing some soup up to her lips. He was almost mesmerized, and it was pathetic. He felt jealous that the bowl had contact with her lips. Itachi knew he was ridiculous for feeling that way, but he couldn't help it. One couldn't easily change the way they felt.

"I'm not hungry anymore," Sakura told him. Itachi was a bit surprised. Earlier, she had complained that she was simply ravenous, and now she took a sip of soup and claimed she was no longer hungry. It did not make sense. Now, he knew that she was no longer ill, at least, not enough to hinder her in daily activities. He did not mind that she was keeping this information from him. However, he was curious as to why she was acting as she was.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned her, determined to get the truth this time. "Why are you behaving this way?" His tone was unintentionally harsh, but it couldn't be helped. He had been far too gentle with her previously.

"Why do you care?" Sakura bit out. "Are you really doing this to me?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know getting angry won't aggravate your condition, seeing as you are not sick." Sakura gasped, and Itachi looked her straight on in the eye.

"Y-you knew?" Sakura asked incredulously. "Then why-"

"Because I don't mind," Itachi interjected. "I don't mind anything you do to me." Sakura's frown deepened. "Now tell me what is bothering you."

"It's none of your business!" she insisted, turning away from him. "I don't know why you care-" Itachi took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. Immediately, Sakura felt weak. Butterflies flew in her stomach, her chest tightened, and she couldn't help but start to turn red. Finally, she gave in. She stopped struggling. "I know you're not who people say you are," she whispered. "You're different than how I expected you to be."His thumb accidentally grazed her bottom lip, and she had to suppress a shudder. "I know," she said simply, "I don't know the whole story, but I can feel that you're not a bad man."

"Oh, but I am." His smooth voice sounded like music to her.

"Maybe you are," Sakura went on. "But somewhere along the line, it just stopped mattering, and I...feel like such a terrible person for wanting you."

Itachi froze. His heart hammered in his chest, and he felt something akin to pride and anger fill him. He had not expected to hear that. He had known about her feelings because he felt the same way, but he had never expected her to confess to him. Itachi suddenly felt angry at himself. He should have pushed her away, he should have left her to die...but he didn't. He was tainting her, and he loathed himself for it.

"You don't know what you're saying," he told her.

"Maybe." Then she kissed him.

Itachi was far too shocked to kiss her back. His eyes widened when Sakura pulled away. "We shouldn't."

"I agree," she mumbled, nodding. Then his lips crashed onto hers. Itachi almost moaned into her mouth. He wanted her so badly, but he knew it could never be. Just for tonight, they could indulge in their desire. Just once.

Her lips moved against his, and when her tongue traced the seam of his lips, jolts of pleasure travelled down his spine. However, he was rather displeased when she pulled away and huffed impatiently.

"S-sorry," she stuttered, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to lick you." Itachi smiled when he realized that Sakura did not really know how to kiss. She did not know that using her tongue like that was actually rather welcome. However, he would not let her know. Yet.

"I don't mind anything you do to me," he whispered, pulling her back to him and devouring her lips once more.

* * *

><p>Sakura wasn't really accustomed to waking up naked. First, Sakura had started to panic when somebody's arms were around her waist, but she calmed when she realized that it was Itachi holding her. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing, but Itachi had already seen everything anyway, despite her protests not to look. He had then activated his Sharingan to enhance his vision, haughtily grinning the entire time.<p>

Sakura shifted in his arms, and Itachi kissed her shoulder tenderly. They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity.

Then somebody knocked.

They both hastily sat up in bed, panicking. Itachi scrambled out of bed in search of pants, and he pulled them up with ease. Embracing Sakura, he placed his lips on the crown of her forehead. "Stay here," he instructed her before passionately kissing her. Sakura nodded when they separated, and Itachi practically stomped out of the room.

Prepared to sink his kunai into their guest, he opened the door and a wave of relief and despair washed over him.

"Yo," a woman greeted him, a headband from the leaf adorning her forehead.

"Jin?" Itachi asked a bit stupidly, regretting it when she shot back a nasty retort at him. "You were supposed to be here in a week."

"Well, you dumbass, I got here a bit early," she replied. Then her eyes widened. "What's wrong with your chest? You got red spots all over. You got a rash?" When Itachi turned his head and did not answer, Jin gasped giddily. "Oh, man. You got laid!" She exclaimed, clapping him on his back in congratulations. Itachi hit himself while he turned red. "Those are some hickeys!" Jin yelled, praising Sakura. Sakura couldn't help but turn red, even though Itachi and the guest were nowhere near the room. She started putting on her clothes, not wanting the woman to accidentally see her naked.

"I was counting on you being her in a week. You could have been caught!" Sakura heard Itachi hiss.

"Relax, ya dumb bitch!" The woman she presumed to be Jin replied. "I waited for an hour, and I didn't sense any chakra signatures besides yours and hers so quit your whining!"

"But-"

"I'm not here to kill her or anything, ugly. I'm just here to take her home!" Itachi could have strangled Jin, but he decided that he should tell Sakura what was happening.

Sakura gasped, covering her mouth. What had Jin just said? Take her home? That was why Itachi had been sending letters to this woman. He was finding her a way home! Sakura almost cried in happiness. However, the glee she had felt disappeared when she came to comprehend that she had to leave Itachi if she went home. She'd have to leave him forever. A very large part of her didn't want to leave him, but she knew that she had to. Her parents were probably worried sick, Naruto was probably going insane...but that didn't make it any easier. Sakura wished she could have...

"Sakura." Itachi appeared before her, startling her out of her thoughts. "You're going home."

Sakura nodded her head. "I know." Itachi's eyes softened in a way Sakura had never seen before. A woman with black, curly messy hair entered the room, leaning on the wall. "This is Jin," he explained. "She's here to take you home."

"Hey," Jin greeted, a smirk on her face. Sakura gave her a little wave. "I'll be waiting outside at the dock for you guys," she told them. She then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked at Itachi with worry stretched out all over her features. Itachi tried to comfort her. "Jin may seem idiotic, but she's extremely powerful and loyal. She will protect you with her life if she needs to."

"Are you sure?" she asked, nervous. Itachi nodded.

"I promise," he said with conviction, taking Sakura by the hand. She squeezed it in return.

They prepared for her trip which would last around two weeks. Itachi practically threw tons of supplies at her, his concern for her unwavering. She ended up with ten blankets, a month's worth of food, and a thousand other things in her rather large bag.

"You must bring a jacket with you," he said, worrying like a mother.

"I don't have a jacket," she reminded him, her hands on her hips. Itachi seemed to think that over for a moment before reappearing with a jacket that would be much too large for her.

"Here, use this."

Sakura gently put it on, slipping her arms through the too-long sleeves. She buried her nose in it, and she could smell it- his scent. It was his jacket. She thanked him, and he responded by taking her bag and swinging it over his shoulder. He then reached for her hand.

Sakura gladly took his.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the dock, Jin waved them over and took the enormous bag from Itachi's shoulder with ease. "Whenever you're ready, Sakura."<p>

Sakura nodded but did not let go of Itachi's hand. "How are you going to explain my disappearance?" she asked him, her voice shaking. Unconsciously, her grip tightened.

"I will say that the Konoha ninja that I had been warning him about finally found our hiding place, and as I was gravely outnumbered, I let them take you," Itachi said simply.

"You don't look hurt at all," Sakura replied, quirking one eyebrow at him.

"Oh, that can be easily remedied," he chuckled. Sakura smiled at his lame attempt at a joke.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, squeezing his hand so hard Itachi thought it might break. He broke free of her hold and cupped her face with his hands, his black eyes ever so focused. He didn't want to forget her face. He knew he wouldn't, but it felt as if she was being forcibly taken from him. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

She responded by crying and fiercely kissing him.

They broke apart, Sakura still sobbing. "Goodbye," she choked, ripping herself from his side.

"Goodbye, Sakura." He instantly missed her warmth, and self loathing ensued. He wished he was a different man so he could go back with her, so he could be with her. However, this was no fairytale. Reality was always much more tragic.

Jin yelled at the crew to set sail. Wind blowing in her face, Sakura stared at Itachi's figure until he was no longer visible.

"He'll be fine," Jin's voice startled Sakura, causing her to jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"I know he'll be fine, it's just-" She couldn't continue her sentence. Jin stared hard at the girl and sighed.

"I'll let you know how he's doing every now and then." Sakura's mood instantly brightened, and she beamed at Jin.

"Really?"

"Yep. No problem. Just don't let anybody know. Remember, Sakura. This is a secret between me and you. We don't things to get fucked up back at Konoha." Jin then walked away.

Sakura resumed her staring at the dock. It was so blurry that she could barely even see it anymore; that's how far it was. But still...she couldn't forget what Itachi had told her. She never would.

* * *

><p><em>"I love you." <em>

* * *

><p>Well, that's the end of <em>Blurred<em>. I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. This is my second finished ItaSaku fic, and I feel a little sad now. :( Anyhow, I do really hope that you enjoyed this and are satisfied with the ending. :)

Have a nice day!


End file.
